Rusev WWE Contract Rumors, Taynara Reportedly Leaves NXT, Shayna Baszler to Raw?

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Rusev Reportedly in Contract Dispute with WWE

Rusev is reportedly embroiled in a contract dispute with WWE, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton).

Meltzer noted that Rusev has been taken off television because of the dispute, although it is unclear exactly what the disagreement is over.

Rusev had been part of one of the longest-running storylines in WWE with Bobby Lashley and Lana. Liv Morgan also eventually joined the angle, but the basis of the story was that Lana had left Rusev for Lashley, which led to Rusev divorcing Lana and then Lashley marrying her.

Several matches took place within the storyline, and Rusev came out on the losing end in all of them. He fell to Lashley in singles matches on Raw and at TLC, and he and Morgan lost to Lashley and Lana in a mixed tag team match on the Jan. 20 episode of Raw.

Lana and Morgan had singles matches against each other each of the past two weeks, but Rusev hasn't been on TV.

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported in November that Lana signed a new five-year contract with WWE, and he noted at the time that Rusev was negotiating a new deal as well.

Since no report regarding The Bulgarian Brute signing a new deal has come to light since then, it is possible that he is riding out his current contract.

Rusev is a three-time United States champion and had a singles match against John Cena at WrestleMania, but he has never quite been able to reach the top of the card.

If his WWE contract runs out and he opts to sign with another company such as All Elite Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Impact Wrestling or Ring of Honor, perhaps he will be able to ascend to that next level.

Taynara Reportedly Leaves NXT

WWE Superstar Taynara has reportedly left NXT over an undisclosed disagreement, according to Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News).

Per the report, most with knowledge of the situation believe Taynara left because of a financial dispute. It was also reported that she cleared out her locker at the WWE Performance Center.

The 24-year-old is a Brazil native who signed with WWE in 2016 following a successful career in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Taynara took part in each of the two Mae Young Classic tournaments, and she was also part of the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34 in 2018.

While Taynara has made many appearances on NXT TV over the past few years, she has primarily been used as a mid-to-low card talent and hasn't had many opportunities to mix it up with the top women on the roster.

Taynara has not had a televised match since November when she beat Santana Garrett, and her most recent NXT match of any kind was at a Jan. 12 live event in Buffalo, New York, when she and Bianca Belair lost to Mia Yim and Kayden Carter in a tag team match.

NXT has arguably the best women's division in all of wrestling, with Belair, Yim, Rhea Ripley, Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai and others playing significant roles.

That can make it difficult for a new female star to emerge, so perhaps Taynara has grown frustrated with the fact that she has yet to break through into a bigger spot.

Baszler Reportedly Set for Move to Raw

Baszler, a two-time NXT women's champion, is reportedly set to get called up to the main roster as part of the Raw brand soon.

According to Meltzer (h/t Middleton), the call-up has been planned for about a year, and it is scheduled to finally take place "soon."

She dropped the NXT Women's Championship to Rhea Ripley in December and was part of the Women's Royal Rumble match last month. Baszler was the 30th entrant and eliminated eight women, but she finished as the runner-up to Charlotte Flair.

With Charlotte potentially in line to challenge for the NXT women's title at WrestleMania, there is an opening in terms of who will challenge Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship.

Baszler would be an ideal candidate since she beat Becky and Bayley in a Triple Threat match at Survivor Series in November. After that match, Lynch put Baszler through the announce table, so there is still some unfinished business between them.

Also, Baszler is close friends with Ronda Rousey, who lost to Lynch in the Triple Threat main event of WrestleMania last year.

On Monday's episode of Raw, Lynch is putting her title on the line against Asuka. That could represent the perfect opportunity for Baszler to debut.

If Becky retains in a hard-fought match and Baszler appears afterward to attack a worn-out Lynch, it would be the ideal setup for a WrestleMania feud and match.

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